The Zephyrus M and a huge airdrop crate were big highlights on the ROG booth at Pax East

Making a return to Pax East after three years away, Republic of Gamers hit the show floor with a big booth, packed with the latest ROG gaming hardware, giveaways and an appearance from streamer, Lirik.

PAX attendees were able to jump on the esports desks to participate in 3v3 Overwatch matches, immerse themselves in the virtual world of Super Hot and test the performance of the latest laptops and desktops through gaming experiences.

Players were also able to get their hands on the latest ROG gaming notebook, the Zephyrus M GM501, before it hit stores. The GM501 crams Intel’s latest Core i7-8750H CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU into a package that measures less than 0.8” thick and uses an innovative thermal solution to stay cool. When you open the GM501, a separate hinge opens up the back of the laptop for better airflow.

The Zephyrus M was on show next to the ROG Strix GL12, a compact gaming desktop that’s built for esports players. Based on a factory-overclocked Core i7-8700K CPU and NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1080 GPU, it’s also got a hot-swap SSD bay that makes switching out drives a snap, and support for Aura Sync is on hand to ensure your rig matches the rest of your peripherals.

All who visited the booth and completed multiple activities had a greater chance at winning the daily giveaway, which included the ROG Strix Flare keyboard, Gladius II Origin mouse, Scabbard desk mat Fusion 500 headset, and even an ROG Horsem4n figure, but what got the crowds taking pictures was the Intel-branded drop crate featured in the booth, it was a part of ROG's exclusive #ROGWinnerWinner giveaway on social media. The winner of the contest received their very own Zephrus M gaming laptop and a mini crate to commemorate their victory.

ROG is gearing up for PAX West later this year, so don’t miss your chance to check out the latest gaming hardware in Seattle.